Anonymous wrote:Yes $150 is on the high side for the sleeping hours, but I'd say that there are a few factors that indicate that this particular job SHOULD be paying on the higher side. First, the child is young, and even the best sleepers can be a bit hit or miss at that age, especially with a change to the routine (nanny putting him to sleep instead of mom and dad). But the big factor is that OP doesn't have a guest room for the nanny. I know I personally would not get a great nights sleep in any of the options OP described, and a higher rate would go a long way towards making up for that.

Now that's not to say that OP HAS to pay above market or else she's taking advantage of the nanny. I'd suggest first asking the nanny what rate she has in mind, and then comparing it to what others have said here and your own expectations/budget.

+1 totally agree

Yes $150 is on the high side for the sleeping hours, but I'd say that there are a few factors that indicate that this particular job SHOULD be paying on the higher side. First, the child is young, and even the best sleepers can be a bit hit or miss at that age, especially with a change to the routine (nanny putting him to sleep instead of mom and dad). But the big factor is that OP doesn't have a guest room for the nanny. I know I personally would not get a great nights sleep in any of the options OP described, and a higher rate would go a long way towards making up for that.

Now that's not to say that OP HAS to pay above market or else she's taking advantage of the nanny. I'd suggest first asking the nanny what rate she has in mind, and then comparing it to what others have said here and your own expectations/budget.

As we've all learned, different parents have different standards and expectations, and pay the help accordingly.

No sock puppet here. I don't undervalue myself, but at the same time, I know what is fair and appropriate.

Highly skilled professionals usually price their fees according to their past accomplishments. Of course everyone has the option of donating,or discounting, their services, as they see fit.

What does this even mean? What kind of accomplishment is worth extra money for overnight babysitting? It's a pretty simple job, not a high skilled operation.

OP, I agree with others that $150 overnight is very high. The amount I have been quoted, by several sources, is $50-$75 for overnight. Normal rate for awake hours, as you detailed. Have fun.

Yes, nannies sleep over sometimes.
Hourly rate when baby is awake plus a separate amount when baby is sleeping is typical.
The 'sleeping hours' rate is usually $50-100/night. If nanny has her own family, on the higher end would be great since she won't get to see them that night. $150 is very generous if you're able to swing it.
Pizza money would be awesome. If not, a well-stocked kitchen is just as nice.

You can offer her the option of the pull out couch,air mattress, or your bed with clean sheets. Let her pick. If it were me, I'd opt for the actual bed. But I can see how it might be uncomfortable if she hasn't been working for you long.

Highly skilled professionals usually price their fees according to their past accomplishments. Of course everyone has the option of donating,or discounting, their services, as they see fit.

Anonymous wrote:
It's unbelievable that nannies themselves would undervalue their own services. I suspect that's it's actually parent sock-puppets. Or if any of them are truly nannies, I have to question their skill level.

When I am responsible for a child through the night, I do not sleep as deeply, as I would otherwise. I am on-call to instantly respond to any possible situation or emergency. The piece of mind that parents have when hiring a professional who they can trust, is worth everything.

21:36 here.

No, I am an actual nanny. I think PP sounds amazing and that 1$50 is on the high end, how does that make me a "low-skilled".

It's unbelievable that nannies themselves would undervalue their own services. I suspect that's it's actually parent sock-puppets. Or if any of them are truly nannies, I have to question their skill level.

When I am responsible for a child through the night, I do not sleep as deeply, as I would otherwise. I am on-call to instantly respond to any possible situation or emergency. The piece of mind that parents have when hiring a professional who they can trust, is worth everything.

You sound great.

I also think $150 is quite high for 11 hours of the baby sleeping...I bet the nanny would do it for $50 to $75 less if you asked.

If there is not a guest room available, I will always pick the game room/living room/etc over the parents' bedroom...just for my own comfort.

Everything you mentioned sounds good. $150 is a little high but if you can swing it that is nice.

If your kitchen is fully stocked, then I'd just tell her to help herself to anything in the fridge. She is an adult and even if she doesn't cook she can always heat up a frozen entree or a can of soup or whatever.

Re the bed- I would just ask her- Do you prefer to sleep on our bed with fresh sheets, or on the air mattress? And let her decide- don't put it like "oh you could sleep on our bed but you probably find that weird so.." because then she'll feel compelled to sleep on the air mattress.

The only other thing is she might be a bit burnt out for the week if the wedding is on a friday or sunday night (I'm not crazy- most Jewish couples marry on Sundays so this is not unheard of).

As a nanny I've stayed with the kids multiples nights in a row before. No big deal. I always stay in MB/DB's bed since its right across from the kids room and they knew they could come get in bed with me in the morning to watch tv (king bed, they'd sit on the end or opposite side if it was stupid early) or come get me if they needed something.

I have always been paid full rate for awake time, 1/2 rate for sleeping hours (if baby is sttn).

Just ask her what she prefers, she'll tell you!

I'd offer the finances as you suggested. And ask her where she'd prefer to sleep. As pp indicated, you sound like a very decent MB. Those are the people who had me as long as they needed me. Win - win - win. The third, and most important here, is ultimately, your child.

Nanny here, and first off can I say that you sound like an amazing employer!

Yes, I've definitely spent the night at my employers. I'm not a live-in and I live about 15 miles away from their house, and with traffic it takes me about 30 minutes there and 30 minutes back. It's a normal requirement that sometimes nannies stay the night, especially younger nannies without families.

I think the pay rate for the night ($150) is actually really on the high end. Maybe 60 to 80 dollars for the night, what time would this start? If the hourly rate ends at 8, then yes, 60 to 80 sounds good. I honestly think $150 is very high, maybe I'm wrong, definitely hoping for some other nanny/parent opinions.

As far as the sleeping arrangements, sleeping in the parents bed (clean or not) is a bit odd for me. I had a past employee who co-slept, and really the only option was for me to sleep in their mastered with their toddler and infant, it was weird for me, but may not be for your nanny. All you can do is suggest it, I doubt it will offend her and she can make a choice between a bed, the couch, or air mattress.

Also, again, you sound amazing! Very lucky nanny you have!

DH and I are thinking about asking our nanny to stay at our house overnight while we go to a friend's wedding downtown. We would get home so late anyway. Plus, a group of (childless) friends are staying in a hotel that night and DH wants to join them. It would be out first night away from the baby, and I was hoping to get some insight about logistics.

First, nannies, is staying overnight something you would even consider? Is this common? I don't want to weird her out by asking.

Second, how does the pay work? Obviously, we would pay her full hourly rate for all times the baby is awake. DS is 11 months, and sleeps through the night - about 11 hours. So, I was thinking maybe full rate for whenever the baby is awake, plus another $150 for the night, picking back up at full rate when DS wakes up? Is $150 too little?

Finally, we live in a 2 bedroom apartment - no guest room. We have a pull-out sofa, which I think is incredibly uncomfortable, and an air mattress. My first thought was to offer our bed (with clean sheets, of course), but then I wondered if that would be weird. Nannies -- if you've stayed over and there's no guest room, where do you sleep? Would you rather sleep in your boss' clean, comfortable bed, or on a less comfortable air mattress or pull-out? Or should I just offer all 3?

Oh, and also, dinner for the nanny. Can we just leave her money to order a pizza? Should I make something for her to heat up? (She's always welcome to anything in the house as well - I just assume she won't want to cook a chicken breast or anything)

Thanks for any feedback!